Women’s Leadership in Climate Action: Investing in Women as Change Agents and First Responders to the Climate Crisis

Women and girls are indispensable to climate action. They are essential agents of change when it comes to sustainable solutions. At the same time, they are often most affected by the impacts of climate change. It is therefore critical to invest in women as change agents in climate mitigation and adaptation, peacebuilders, and humanitarians acting as first responders to disasters and crises.

Promoting the leadership of women is a precondition for and will lead to more effective and inclusive solutions that foster climate resilience. This side event will highlight the work of women’s organizations and women entrepreneurs to showcase existing projects and initiatives, such as the WPHF Women and Climate Security Initiative, the Rising Nations Initiative (RNI), and the German International Climate Initiative (IKI). The event would bring together representatives from government, the United Nations, and civil society.

Objective

This event will highlight the work and good practices of women as change agents and first responders to the climate crisis.

Sub-objectives:

• Highlight existing policy efforts and policy gaps of the international community to promote women’s leadership and meaningful participation in climate action
• Discuss challenges, opportunities, and good practices of investing in women’s leadership and meaningful participation in climate action 
• Accelerate joint action to promote women’s leadership in climate action, including through the WPHF Women & Climate Security Initiative in partnership with Germany.

Agenda

The side event will begin with opening remarks by high-level government representatives highlighting the importance of promoting local women’s leadership in climate action. Speakers will mention existing policy gaps and efforts to promote women’s leadership through feminist foreign policies and discuss the importance of providing flexible feminist funding local women’s organizations. This will be followed by an interactive panel featuring women leaders from local civil society organizations, global civil society networks, and non-partisan institutes at the forefront of climate action. Panelists will discuss challenges, opportunities, and good practices of promoting women’s leadership and meaningful participation in climate action. The event will conclude with a Call to Action to accelerate joint action to promote women’s leadership in climate action.

• 2:00-2:20 PM | Welcoming Remarks and Keynotes

Welcome Remarks and Keynotes by high-level government representatives to highlight existing policy efforts and policy gaps of the international community to promote women’s leadership and meaningful participation in climate action.

• 2:20-3:05 PM | Panel Discussion

Panel discussion with women leaders on challenges, opportunities, and good practices of investing in women’s leadership and meaningful participation in climate action.

• 3:05-3:20 PM | Interventions form the Floor

Interventions from the floor on how to promote women’s leadership and meaningful participation in climate action.

• 3:20-3:30 PM | Closing remarks and Call to Action  

Closing remarks and Call to Action to accelerate joint action to promote women’s leadership in climate action, including through the WPHF Women & Climate Security Initiative in partnership with Germany.  

*SPEAKERS TO BE ANNOUNCED SOON*

• Hosts: German Federal Foreign Office in partnership with the United Nations Women’s Peace and Humanitarian Fund (WPHF)
• Time and Date: 29 May 2024, 2:00 – 3:30 PM AST 
• Location: American University of Antigua and Barbuda, Room 2, Jabberwock Rd, Osbourn, Antigua and Barbuda 
• Duration: 90 minutes

About the WPHF Women & Climate Security Initiative

The WPHF Women & Climate Security Initiative was launched at COP28 in partnership with Germany. It aims to invest in women’s rights and women-led organizations that focus on preventing and responding to climate-related conflicts and injustice. The initiative will involve channeling funding to local women’s civil society organizations through a pilot Call for Proposals in the Pacific region, Nigeria and Colombia, followed by a global Call for Proposals across 12 priority countries/groups of countries.

UN Women is acting as the Management Entity for grants at country level. The Initiative will focus on the following impact areas:  

• Prevention of climate-related conflicts and injustice: Women participate in and inform decision-making processes and responses related to the prevention of climate-related conflicts and injustice (aligned with WPHF impact area 2)   
• Economic and political participation on climate security and climate justice: Women lead and participate in green socio-economic recovery and political decision-making to reduce climate-related conflicts and injustice (aligned with WPHF impact area 6).

The Call for Proposals will make available financing for women’s civil society organizations working on climate security and climate justice through programmatic funding grants from 30,000 USD to 200,000 USD and institutional funding with grants from 2,500 USD to 30,000 USD.